Kabbalah, which comes from the Hebrew word 'L'Kabbel'and means 'To receive'. It is also known as 'Torat ha-Sod', which means 'The teaching of the secret'. Secret in this context is less about keeping you in the dark, in a need to know, John Le Carré context, but more about the unravelling of deep and profound truths.

Kabbalah is ancient in origin, going back over 4,000 years, but timeless in its wisdom. In simple language, you could say that it is the mechanics of how life works.

The benefits of Kabbalah

By understanding the philosophy of Kabbalah and applying its principles we can learn to live more authentically wholesome, meaningful and fulfilled lives. By the same token, it is our failure to appreciate and comprehend the significance of these principles that is behind the majority of the problems that we see all around us today, such as the predominance of anger, frustration, anxiety and stress; their related symptoms, such as heart disease, high blood pressure and depression; and their wider social consequences, such as domestic violence, road rage, alcohol and drug abuse.

Tiferet offers an integrated approach to psychological and emotional health and wellbeing, based on the timeless wisdom of Kabbalah, which is both practical and accessible.

Isn't Kabbalah a religion?

Kabbalah's origins are rooted in traditional Judaism, though you'd be hard pushed to find many of its ideas practically applied in any religious context. Furthermore, some of its deepest wisdom is so highly complex that it is generally incomprehensible to most. However, within the wide body of Kabbalistic teachings there are more functional and accessible elements, specifically those that explain human psychology and concern themselves with the refinement of character, which are applicable to people from all faiths and none. It is this area of Kabbalah that Tiferet is concerned with.

Isn't Kabbalah just some celebrity fad?

In recent years the term 'Kabbalah' has been used and abused mainly because of its association with leading 'celebrities'; trinkets, such as 'red strings' wrapped around the left wrist, supposedly to ward off the 'evil eye'; bottles of 'Kabbalah water', sold, of course, at premium prices; and so on. Sadly, all this nonsense has succeeded in doing is trivialising and distorting deep and profound teachings, and thereby undermining a body of wisdom that goes back centuries. However, like all genuine spiritual disciplines, any insightful change in behaviour can only come from the will within and not from without.

How does Soul Dynamics differ from other approaches, e.g. psychotherapy and life coaching?

Most therapeutic approaches tend to look backwards, in that they attribute underlying causes of anxiety to external events, situations and experiences that an individual will have encountered in their life that require extensive analysis and exploration in order to move forward. On the other hand, life coaching tends be about helping an individual address current symptoms of distress, such as problems associated with specific jobs or career paths, difficulties with relationships, concerns about health & fitness, financial worries and so forth, applying goal-setting methods.

Soul Dynamics, by contrast, works on the basis that our problems are neither rooted in specific events from our past nor resolved by forward-thinking approaches concerning future goals. Instead, Soul Dynamics posits that the underlying causes of anxiety, stress and depression lie not so much in the events, circumstances, situations themselves, nor with other people, but more in how we relate to them, i.e. an inside-out rather than outside-in approach.

So isn't Soul Dynamics just a fancy form of CBT?

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT for short, is a combination of cognitive therapy, which is designed to change people's thoughts, beliefs, attitudes and expectations; and behavioural therapy, which is about changing how people act. It works on the basis that the way we think about a situation affects how we act. In turn, our actions can affect how we think and feel. Thus the goal of CBT is to change both the act of thinking and the behaviour to effect change in the individual.

There are indeed surface-level similarities with Kabbalah's approach to psychological health and wellbeing. However, whereas the CBT approach is based on a process of reframing events and encounters via adopting a positive thinking disposition, it has no underlying philosophy in itself and does nothing to address underlying causes of anxiety, only seeks to alleviate its symptoms. Soul Dynamics, by contrast, utilizing Kabbalah's central themes, seeks to transform how one posits life's challenges, based on understanding the 10 Primary Principles, which are at the core of all human behaviour.

Are there any similarities between Soul Dynamics and Logotherapy?

Logotherapy was developed by psychiatrist Viktor Frankl. Whereas, Alfred Adler posited that the primary motivating force behind all human behaviour is the 'will to power', and Sigmund Freud posited it as the 'will to pleasure', Frankl argued that it is founded upon the 'will to meaning'. Frankl's theories and subsequent therapeutic approach (logotherapy) was forged through his experience as a concentration camp prisoner in Auschwitz, which was later documented in his classic work 'Man's Search for Meaning'. Soul Dynamics does indeed see meaning as central to the human condition. The 10 Primary Principles are framed around the idea that life is inherently meaningful and purposeful. Our goal is to optimise individual expression by becoming more adept at understanding our inner motivational drives.Are there similarities between Soul Dynamics and Innate Health?

Innate Health, which is also known as Health Realization, is based on 3 central principles, namely those relating to mind, consciousness and thought. They were first outlined by Scottish philosopher Sydney Banks in the early 1970s and relates to the idea that our experience is caused from within the mind by the myriad of thoughts that are generated unconsciously from moment to moment. Therefore, the key to a more enlightened existence is by us becoming conscious of the process of thought and our innate ability to observe rather than merely identify with the thoughts themselves.

Critics of this approach would contend that the entire emphasis on inward experience and failure to acknowledge external realities merely sanitizes, rather than confronts, actual trauma, thereby potentially trivializing its impact.

Soul Dynamics, by contrast, neither trivializes nor denies the external impact of distress, only challenging the manner in which it is dealt with. We are often not responsible as to what happens to us, only how we respond. It works on the Kabbalistic tenet that though our thoughts are indeed the predominant force over our emotions, the two have to be considered in tandem as they are intrinsically linked. It is by understanding and internalising the working of the 10 Primary Principles that we can learn to become more self-aware and thereby more effective in vanquishing the trials and tribulations that bedevil everyday life.

What about prescription drugs?

Over 31 million batches of Prozac are prescribed each year in England alone. Indeed, the National Health Service annually spends over £3 billion on anti-depressants, and yet these costly interventions, as well as having significant and potentially dangerous side effects, have been found, in most instances, to be no better than placebos. Soul Dynamics, by contrast, does not involve extensive drug treatments. However, if you have been prescribed specific medication then under no circumstances should you refrain from taking them without the expressed agreement of your GP.

What is Colour Therapy?

We all know that colour can have a profound effect on our moods and emotions, certain colours somehow seem to depress us whilst others appear to be more inspiring; likewise certain colours have a calming effect on our minds, whilst others act more like a stimulant.

Traditional Colour Therapy as a holistic, non-invasive approach to health & wellbeing has been used in one form or another for thousands of years. Indeed, its roots can be traced back to ancient Egypt, India, and China. Colour Therapy can be used for any problem whether this be of a physical, mental, emotional or even spiritual nature as well as an overall relaxation therapy.

What makes Person-Centred Colour Therapy (PCCT) distinct from other therapies?

Person-Centred Colour Therapy (PCCT) integrates traditional colour therapy within a Kabbalistic framework. It works on the principle that there are specific qualities, senses and healing actions, which correspond to the 12 colours on a traditional artist's colour wheel and to an energy centre of the body. These qualities need to be in balance if our lives are to be lived optimally.

What are the colours, qualities, senses, healing actions and energy centres of the body?

Colour Key quality Sense Main healing action Energy centre

Magenta Forgiveness Touch Relationship building Top of head

Lavender Trust Smell Dealing with adversity Forehead

Indigo Humility Sleep Unravelling potential Face

Sky Blue Serenity Anger Detoxing stress & anger Throat

Turquoise Gratitude Taste Prosperity Just below throat

Dark Green Humour Laughter Happiness Breast region

Olive Courage Speech Confronting fear Heart region

Yellow Optimism Thought Positive-thinking Stomach (above naval)

Gold Confidence Walking Motivation Naval

Orange Creativity Sight Self-esteem Stomach (below naval)

Coral Empathy Hearing Communication skills Just above groin

Red Passion Action Goal-setting From groin to feet

What problems might I experience if I lack balance in any of these areas?

When any of these qualities are misaligned we may experience a variety of symptoms that present themselves on either a physical, emotional, mental or even spiritual level. PCCT tackles our problems from a holistic perspective and thus deals with body, heart, mind and soul.

Whilst PCCT is not a substitute for medical treatment, it can be an aid to healing. PCCT is excellent for treating stress, depression and anxiety.

Are there any similarities between PCCT's 12 energy centres of the body and the Chakras?

The term chakra, which in Sanskrit means 'wheel', relates to the Eastern concept of there being 7 main energy centres located in the body, namely: top of the head, forehead, base of throat, chest, solar plexus (midway between the navel and the base of the sternum), centre of the abdomen and the perineum (lower regions), together with many more minor ones. Optimum health it is said is achieved by a balance of all these energies. Kabbalah's 12 energy centres operate in a similar fashion, but more comprehensively.

What does a course of PCCT consist of?

A course of PCCT begins with an initial diagnosis and consultation, which is first aimed at establishing the underlying causes of any problems that a client may be experiencing. The client is encouraged to talk about their current circumstances and how their associated feelings; their medical history and whether they have had any previous counselling or complementary therapy. They are then asked to select 3 colours from a selection of colour cards, which are associated with particular healing actions, and this process is combined within a counselling framework. Further sessions then build on this initial meeting.